Sharp releases all sorts of smartphones in Asia that don’t end up spreading to the rest of the world. While the US awaits its first 3D phone this week, Sharp’s been cranking them out since last year. One Sharp smartphone does look like it will arrive in the West is Sharp’s SH8188U, an Android slate.

The SH8188U runs a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 and has a WVGA display, though we’re not sure yet just how large it is. The Asian version we have specs for is equipped for WCDMA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands, but with a new radio it should be suitable for 3G operation in North America. Normally, we wouldn’t expect Sharp to make such an adjustment, but the phone’s entry with the Bluetooth SIG attests that the smartphone will be available in Asia, Europe, and North America.

We know the SH8188U will have a five-megapixel rear camera and support HDMI-out. All in all, this feels like we’re dealing with last year’s technology. Sharp, when you’re going to push for a global release for one of your smartphones, do it with gusto; first no-glasses 3D display would have been great. Eighty-fourth 1GHz Froyo phone? Not so much.